Verizon Cell Tower Clears One More Hurdle
by Doug La Rocque
The Brunswick Planning Board has declared that the Verizon Wireless plan to construct a cell tower on land at the corner of Creek Road and Menemsha Lane, in the southern portion of the town, will not have any significant environmental impact. The so-called “neg dec” made at the Thursday, January 7 meeting, means the proposal can now move forward for an area variance review by the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). If the ZBA gives its blessings as well, the project returns to the Planning Board for final review and possible approval. The matter is on the agenda for the ZBA’s January 25 meeting.
No New Movement On Aldi’s
David Leon’s proposal to construct an Aldi’s Grocery Store and two fast food restaurants on land he owns on both sides of where the current Planet Fitness sits on Hoosick Road (NYS Route 7), was under review by the planners the same evening. The applicant states a 99 page letter addressing the comments that were brought forth at the public hearing is nearly complete.
One of the biggest concerns addressed at that hearing was the one way rear access road. The site plan shows it to be 26 feet wide, the width that would be required for any eventual two-way traffic. The residents are worried it would be used to resurrect a plan to create a 200 unit plus apartment complex in the rear of the site, something that met with vehement disapproval two years ago at its public hearing. The board stated it wanted more time to review the response document before deciding upon the proposal’s environmental impact.
This is another project that must ping pong between the planners and the ZBA. Again, there must be a neg dec by the Planning Board before the ZBA can act and like the Verizon Wireless tower proposal, the ZBA here too must approve the variance before it can return to the Planning Board for site plan approval.
Brunswick Acres Development
This was the third major item before the board that night. Still up for discussion is the storm water management plan, which must undergo some more revisions. Another concern is the amount of soil that will have to be removed from the site to allow for the construction of 26 single family homes. It is estimated it would take 5,000 truck loads to complete the job, and the planners were worried about the impact of that on Brunswick Road, (NYS Route 2) as well as the residents in the area. The matter faces further discussion.
Solar Facility Approved
The request by Laughing Earth Farm on NYS Route 2 to construct a private solar facility on its property, strictly for the use of the farm, gained the planners approval after another neg dec was declared. It is a 22 kilowatt facility, placed where there is little visibility from the roadway.